Posted: 2009.06.26(Fri)3:38 Post subject: Partial Water Changes Using Water From My Local Beach?

Hi,
I am in the stages of reseaching for setting up a 55 gal tank to FOWLR, although Reef with coral and a couple of fish is very tempting

I have read many topics on here which state that a RO is preferable, but seeming I live on the coast I was wondering if it would be feasable to collect the water from my local beach & use that for the partial water changes? It just that we have a public aquarium just down the coast and they use the water direct from the sea to replen their tanks which are home to many different species of tropical marine life.

I would be using Fiji LR, but I live in the South of England, and obviously the water is a lot cooler - so it would have to be heated to right temp befor introduction to the tank.

I am sure that the salinity will also be different, but is this something that will change with the heat increase & if it is defficient I suppose I will still have to add marine salt & if there was too much then I would have to add RO water - Umm a lot to think about

Also, I will have to test the collected water prior to introduction, so can any one advise on a good all round - quick & portable tester or kit for KH etc, so I can check the water prior to collection?

It can be done but I don't recommend it.
The following from my archives...

Natural Seawater vs. Artificial

Essentially they are the same. Using natural seawater can be done, I have done it myself many years ago. You have to be careful where you collect it, preferably well offshore in the "blue water" zone on the front of a boat, not near a marina or beach where you might commonly encounter engine fuel, oil, fertilizers, sewage effluent or other chemical pollutants. Then cure it for a month or so in total darkness to kill any pathogens. I had good results, in fact my inverts seemed to like it, but I cannot say with any scientific authority that is was better than the artificial mix. With the high quality artificial mixes available today it's not worth the hassle and risk of pollutants in my opinion.

More importantly, you should be making sure your freshwater source (tapwater for many) is the best it can possibly be, and does not contain any excess phosphates or organics which can lead to unwanted algae in your marine system. Some tapwater sources contain a surprising amount of copper and other chemicals. For those with sensitive reef systems or invertebrates, this can be a big issue. The severity of these problems will differ from one city to the next, and leads many aquarists to purchase a reverse osmosis and deionization system (RO/DI), combined with carbon or Polyfilter products._________________Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

OK so my local water may not be good for a tropical setup - but what if I was to 'mimmick' my local sea life in my own aquaria?

I suppose it would not be quite as colourfull as the tropical setup - but at least I would have a ready and free supply of LR/Inverts & livestock....umm....

Just found this snippet for a 5 stage RO &/or DI which includes a setup video - quite competively priced I thought (bearing in mind this is intended for home use and not aquaria - though it could be utilisled/modified for marine water supply?):

OK so my local water may not be good for a tropical setup - but what if I was to 'mimmick' my local sea life in my own aquaria?

I suppose it would not be quite as colourfull as the tropical setup - but at least I would have a ready and free supply of LR/Inverts & livestock....umm....

Yes well I have done the local tank too... but we have some beautiful livestock in Florida waters such as French Angels, Queen Angels, Cardinals, etc. So I guess it depends on what kinds of animals you have in that region of the UK, I would imagine we are talking about pretty cold water, and that can sometimes require a chiller to duplicate, you'll have to do your research either way._________________Keepin' marines happy for 25 years